Therapeutic shoe



Aug. 26, 1969 A. 1.. MATLES 3,463,163

THERAPEUTIC SHOE Filed Jan. 31, 1967 r V 1 r 5 M/VE/VTO/P ARTHUR LMATLES /5 2/ 8y @T W ATTORNEY United States Patent Office 3,463,163 Patented Aug. 26, 1969 3,463,163 THERAPEUTIC SHOE Arthur L. Matles, Manhattan, N.Y. Eugene J. Sahel & Co., 1207 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19107) Filed Jan. 31, 1967, Ser. No. 612,872

Int. Cl. A43b 7/24; A61f /00 US. Cl. 128-583 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to therapeutic shoes.

In severe cases of talipes the shoes of the child may be clamped and held by metal clamps which permit only limited movement by the child, or no movement and with which predetermined angles of the feet are maintained.

In other children having external tibial torsion and increased external rotation of the hips, such children have in many instances not been treated, or if treated, after the use of casts, splints and braces to correct severe conditions, the correction was not maintained.

No satisfactory provisions have heretofore been proposed to meet the needs just referred to.

In accordance with the present invention a therapeutic shoe for children is provided which is useful in the treatment of mild to moderate internal tibial torsion, increased rotation of the hips and maintenance of correction after the use of casts, splints and braces, for severe internal tibial torsion and severe internal rotation of the hips.

In accordance with the present invention, also, a therapeutic shoe for children is provided which is useful in the treatment of mild to moderate external tibial and mild to moderate increased external rotation of the hips and maintenance of correction of these conditions after the use of casts, splints and braces.

In accordance with the present invention, also, a therapeutic shoe for children is provided which is simple in construction and easy to use.

Other objects and advantageous features of the invention will be apparent from the description and claims.

The nature and characteristic features of the invention will be more readily understood from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming part thereof, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a view in perspective of one shoe of a pair of childrens shoes in accordance with the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view, enlarged, taken approximately on the line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIGURE 3 is a transverse sectional view, taken approximately on the line 33 of FIG. 2; and

FIGURE 4 is a bottom plan view showing one disposition of pair of shoes in accordance with the invention when the child is on its back.

It should, of course, be understood that the description and drawings herein are illustrative merely, and that various modifications and changes can be made in the structure disclosed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

The therapeutic shoe of the present invention includes a shoe, right and left as desired, and of a size to suit the child, the shoe being provided with an exteriorly disposed splint plate parallel to the sole of the shoe and secured thereto. The plate has opposite active edges at the rear and at the front, one of which is effective when the child is on its back and the other of which is effective when the child is on its stomach. The active edges, depending on which serves as a support, urge the foot to a predetermined position.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings in which a preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated, a shoe 10 is provided which includes an upper 11 of any desired type with an outsole 12. A shoe 10 for the right foot is employed for purposes of illustration, it being understood that a like shoe will also be employed for the left foot, but of opposite hand.

The shoe 10 should be of a size to suit the child and may be in the range from 000 to children's size 12. The shoe 10 accordingly may range from that for a month old baby to a size for age 6, 7 or 8 years.

The shoe 10 may be of conventional type or may have an inflare, if desired.

A splint plate 15 is provided of any suitable relatively stiff and rigid material, such as leather or synthetic plastic, the latter being preferred.

The splint plate 15 is attached to the outer face of the outsole 12 in any desired manner, such as by waterproof adhesive but preferably by rivets 16 which extend through the splint plate 15, the outsole 12 and the insole 17.

The splint plate 15 has a front or toe edge 18 which is inclin'ed with respect to the longitudinal axis of the shoe 10 at the desired angle. The edge 18 is positioned to provide the desired internal rotation or external rotation in the range from 25 to By way of illustration the edge 18 is shown to provide an external rotational angle of about 27.

The splint plate 15 also has a rear or heel edge 19 which is inclined with respect to the longitudinal axis of the shoe 10 at the desired angle, as referred to above.

For many purposes the splint plate 15, of plastic will serve to give the desired support. Where a more positive rotational action is desired the splint plate 15 may be made of heavier material such as metal or if desired a splint plate 15 of plastic may have a torque applying plate 20 secured thereto in any desired manner such as by an interposed adhesive layer 21.

In use the shoes 10 when on the child will cause the feet to take positions as determined by the edges 18 or 19'.

In FIG. 4, the edges 19 are shown disposed for a child on its back and as providing a support which urges the feet to the desired predetermined position. Similarly, if the child is placed on its stomach the edges 18 will provide a support for the feet which urges the feet to positions determined by the angles of the edges 18 with respect to the longitudinal axis of the shoes 10.

The shoes 10 may be used with or without the torque applying plate 20, dependent upon the treatment desired.

I claim:

1. A therapeutic shoe having a sole, and

a splint plate member carried by said sole in parallel relation thereto,

said splint plate member having a straight rear marginal support edge and a straight front marginal support edge outwardly beyond said sole,

said edges being disposed at predetermined angles other than perpendicular with respect to the longitudinal axis of the shoe and providing support for the shoe by one of said edges each at a predetermined rotational position.

2. A therapeutic shoe as-defined in claim 1 in which said splint plate is fixedly attached to said sole by rivets.

3. A therapeutic shoe as defined in claim 1 in which said edges are disposed to provide a selected rotational angle in the range from 25 to 75.

4. A therapeutic shoe as defined in claim 1 in which a torque applying member is provided on said splint plate member.

5. A therapeutic shoe as defined in claim 1 in which said splint plate member is of synthetic plastic mate rial. 6. A therapeutic shoe as defined in claim 1 in which said splint plate member is of metal.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,920,620 1/1960 Rogers 128-583 2,967,360 1/1961 Rice 128-581 3,082,548 3/1963 Hartman 36-100 3,209,749 10/1965 Walker 128-80 RICHARD A. GAUDET, Primary Examiner J. D. YASKO, Assistant Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 

